Liquefied gas cylinder



8'- 7, 1965 R. B. MAHAR 3,200,998

LIQUEFIED GAS CYLINDER Filed June 12, 1962 1/ T Y a iziw 2/ J/ IINVENTOR. RUSSELL B. MAHAR A T TORNE V United States Patent 3,260,998LIQUEFIED GAS CYLINDER Russell B. Mahar, Westport, Conn, assignor toUnion Carbide Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed June 12,1962, Ser. No. 201,963 1 Claim. (Cl. 222184) The present inventionrelates to an improved liquefied gas container and more particularly toa gas cylinder of a novel construction permitting both gas discharge andliquid discharge ofliquefied gas contained therein without changing thecylinder position.

Cylindrical pressure vessels have long been used in industry for thestorage, transportation and dispensing of gases and liquefied gases suchas chlorine, sulphur dioxide, refrigerant fluorocarbons and the like.Generally these gas cylinders are provided with a dispensing valve meansarranged in the closed cylinder top which is used properly to dischargethe cylinder contents in gaseous phase only. Providing the cylinderunits are small enough for facile handling (or apparently so), usersdesiring a liquid phase discharge from a cylinder, invert the cylinderand draw off liquid. This practice is not recommended, particularly inview of the hazards involved when a one-man inversion is attempted on acylinder weighing 100 pounds or more. When the gases involved are of atoxic or otherwise dangerous character, the hazards incident toinversion of the containing cylinders to efiect liquid as well as gasphase withdrawals of contents are even more pronounced.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide aliquefied gas containing cylinder adapted to gas and liquid withdrawalalternately or simultaneously without changing the cylinder position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquefiedgas containing cylinder adapted for alternate or simultaneous gas andliquid withdrawal with the cylinder vertically disposed, therebyminimizing space requirements at the use site.

In general, the apparatus of the present invention is adispenser-container for liquefied gas, comprising, in combination, a topportion, generally hollow cylindrical in shape, an end closure in thetop portion, a valve for gas withdrawal in said end closure, a bottomportion, generally hollow cylindrical in shape and integrally formedwith said top portion, an end closure in said bottom portion and a valvefor liquid withdrawal in the bottom portion end closure.

With the foregoing and other features in view which shall more fullyhereinafter appear, the invention will now be described with greaterparticularity and in reference to the appended drawing which is apartially sectionalized side view of a cylinder according to the presentinvention.

In the drawing there is shown a liquefied gas containing cylinderindicated generally as 11, comprising a hollow cylindrical body 13 ofcast or pressed metal or other material suitable for pressure vesselshaving an upper portion 15 and a lower portion 17. A top end closure 19is affixed to the body upper portion 15 by welding or the like or byhaving been integrally formed with the upper portion in a pressingfabrication step. A bottom end closure 21 is similarly afiixed to thebody lower portion 17, to form a leak-tight container. A gas dischargevalve 23 is provided in top end closure 19 to permit withdrawal of thecylinder contents in gaseous phase and a liquid discharge valve 25 isprovided in bottom end closure 21 to permit liquid withdrawal. A topchime structure 27 aflixed to body upper portion 15 and extendingupwardly therefrom protectively surrounds the gas valve 23. Openings 29are provided in the chime structure to permit hand access to the valve.A bottom 3 2r0099i8 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 "ice chime structure 31 issimilarly arranged in respect of the body lower portion 17, protectivelysurrounds liquid valve 25 and is also provided with openings 33 topermit hand access to the liquid valve. By virtue of the provision ofopenings for valve hand access in both the top and bottom chimestructures, the cylinder may be used in either of two verticalpositions, but a first selected orientation need not be reversed oncethe cylinder is in place for use. A further advantage of thisarrangement is that an auxiliary stand or bracket device is not requiredunder the bottom chime structure to facilitate hand access to the valvefor liquid withdrawal. Fusible safety plugs 35 may be provided in theend closures 19 and 21, as is customary.

The valves 23 and 25 may be threadedly inserted into and/or Welded tothe end closures in a manner to preserve the leak-tight integrity of thecontainer. Moveable portions of the valves may be secured againstaccidental movement during transport of the cylinder by cotter pin meansor other devices known in the art.

While the advantages of the present invention are not limited as to usewith any particular cylinder size, it will be readily appreciated bypersons familiar with the art that the advantages accrue mainly inadaptation of the invention to cylinders of the nominal pound tare andupward sizes, up to the nominal 1 ton cylinder currently used. Cylindersaccording to my invention rated as 125-145 pound units can be readilymodified to include dismountable wheels for attachment to the bottomchime structure 31 and dismountable handle means for attachment to thetop chime structure to facilitate short distance moving of the unitswhen required. Heavier cylinders, such as for example, 1 ton units areobviously not adaptable to this modification.

While, in the foregoing description and in the drawing I have describedin concise terms the features of the present invention, together withcertain modifications, the disclosure is presented for illustrativepurposes only and should not be construed in a limiting sense. Thereare, no doubt, numerous alternatives which will occur to persons skilledin the art in the light of my disclosure, which alternatives will bewithin the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A pressure vessel for containing and dispensing liquefied gas in liquidphase and in gas phase comprising, in combination, a hollow cylindricalbody, a first end closure at one end of said body, a second end closureat the other end of said body portion, a first externally operable valvein said first end closure, at second externally operable valve in saidsecond end closure, said valves being adapted respectively to dischargeliquefied gas contents of the pressure vessel in gas phase and in liquidphase when the cylindrical axis of the body of the vessel is orientedvertically, a cylindrical protective wall extension at each end of saidhollow cylindrical body, extending beyond the outer extremity of eachrespective externally operable valve, each of said extensions having anopening in the extension wall large enough to permit manual access tothe valve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,610 5/88Holmes. 2,660,343 1 1/ 5 3 Charpiat 222-397 2,673,010 3/54 Barrow222-182 X 2,888,176 5/59 Miller l37--210 X 2,956,708 1 0/ 60 Nusbaum62-77 X 3,029,981 8/62 Webster et al. 222--397 X RAPHAEL M. LUPO,Primary Examiner.

